Precision balance



March 22, 1938. A. DAHLBERG ET AL 2,111,842

PRECI S ION BALANCE Filed Jan. 12, 1937 INVENTOR. 445. 597 DAHLBEE'G e Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRECISION BALANCE Albert Dahlberg, Los Angeles, Calif., and Gordon S. Clayson, Denver, 0010., assignors to Wm. Ainsworth & Sons, Inc., Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado Application January 12, 1937, Serial No. 120,200

3 Claims. (01. 265-60) This invention relates to improvements in balance to which the present invention has been balances, and more particularly relates to imapplied;

provements in the suspension of a weighing chain Figure 2 is a View, partially in section, looking used in analytical balances of the precision in the direction of the arrows 2--2,Figure 1; type. Figure 3 is a partially broken side view drawn 5 It is an object of the present invention to proto an enlarged scale of the beam of the balance vide a substantially frictionless suspension of a looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Figweighing chain of an analytical balance. ure 2, showing the suspension of the weighing A further object of the invention is to conchain from the beam;

trol the position of the suspension-element of Figure 4 is a section taken .along the line 44, 10

a weighing chain in order that such element will Figure 3; be out of contact with any structure which would Figure 5 is a sectional view of the suspensionadd a friction-component to its weighing funcelement illustrated in Figure 3, taken approxition. mately on the line 5-5, Figure 3; and

5 Another object of the invention is the provi- Figure 6 is a section taken along the line 6-45, sion of a suspension means which is adapted for Figure 3; use at the live end of weighing chains of various In the drawing, the invention has been illustypes of precision balances. trated as applied to a balance of the type shown A still further object of the invention is to in Ainsworth Patent No. 2,022,306, but it will be provide a simple, durable and efficient suspenappreciated that the present invention may be 20 sion-element for weighing chains which is easily applied to all types of precision balances employoperated. ing a counterbalancing chain.

Other objects reside in novel details of con- Referring further to the drawing, the balance struction and novel combinations and arrangeis provided with a conventional hollow base I, ments of parts as will more fully appear in the a column 8 on the base, a beam 9 fulcrumed at course of the following description. It on the upper end of the column with pans I2 In many analytical balances, of the precision and I201 suspended from its opposite ends, and a type, a chain composed of links of substantially pointer 13 carried by the beam and cooperating uniform weight is suspended in a catenary curve with a scale M at the lower end of the column.

39 between anarm of the beam of the balance op- A scale of this character will have, in addiposite from its end on which the load pan is cartion to the foregoing which constitute its prinried, and an adjustable carrier. cipal elements, various adjustments, movement- The end of the chain carried by the beam is arresting devices and other appurtenances, all of the live end, while the end suspended from the which are well-kn0wn in the art, and since such adjustable carrier is the dead end. appliances do not constitute a part of the pres- Various types of suspension systems for such ent invention and differ in form and arrangeweighing or counterbalancing chains have been ment in various scales, detailed description of used in the art. In all such systems, at present the same appears unnecessary. known, the live end of the chain is carried by a It will also be understood that scales of this hook hung over a fixed arm on the balance beam type are glass-enclosed, which feature has not 4 with the live end of the chain disposed in vertibeen illustrated in the drawing.

cal alinement, with the bearing surface of the The equilibrating element of the balance illushook. trated in Figure 1 comprises a hollow column 15 The present invention includes the use of a mounted on the base forward of the structure jewel bearing supported on a pointed pivot with previously described, and provided at its ends 45 the Weighing chain suspended therefrom through with two flanged sheaves l6 and IT, (Figure 2) the intermediary of a hook. This construction supporting a flexible tape 18, preferably made of almost completely eliminates friction in the sussteel, which serves as the adjustable element for pension of the chain and thereby adds to the changing the length of the dead end of the chain,

precision of the balance. and also serves as the movable scale of the weigh- 50 An embodiment of the invention has been 11- ing system. lustrated in the accompanying drawing in the A Sp t for the upper s v P several views of which like parts are similarly vides the required tension for the tape. Vertical designated and in which, movement of the tape is effected from outside the Figure 1 represents a front View of a precision base by means of a knob. l9 atthe end of a shaft 55 upon which the lower sheave I1 is fixed, the shaft being rotatably supported in suitable bearings inside the base of the instrument.

A Vernier-plate 2| is mounted for vertical movement on column l5, its face being alined with the scale-bearing face of tape l8. The plate 2| is fastened on a slotted carrier 20 fixed at the end of a rod 22 which passes through an opening of the base. The lower portion of the rod is toothed to provide a rack 23, which is engaged by a pinion 24 on a shaft 25 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings inside the base.

The chain, constituting the variable weight of the instrument, is designated by the reference numeral 26, and has its dead end suspended from a hook 21 which extends laterally from the tape l8 at the rear side of column I5, the ends of the tape being held together by a. suitable fastening device.

The suspension-element for the live end of the chain, which constitutes the principal feature of the present invention, comprises a jewel bearing member 28 resting on a vertically-disposed, pointed pivot 29 carried at one end of a horizontally-disposed support 39 mounted for selective lengthwise movement in a recess 3| at an end of an arm 32 fixed on the balance beam 9.

The bearing-member 28, as best shown in Figure 4, comprises a jewel 33 having centrally of its bottom a recessed bearing surface which admits the point of the pivot 29 into engaging relation therewith. A band 34 on the jewel carries a hanger or hook 35, on the free end of which the live end of chain 26 hangs.

Due the the fact that in most balances the dead end of the chain is suspended at a distance laterally from the support of the pivot 29, there is a transverse component of force acting on the live end of the chain, in addition to the gravitational force.

As a result, the hook 35 of the present invention would have a tendency to swing about the pivot 29, and in so doing, would frequently come to rest against the arm 32 or pivot support 30, thereby introducing a friction factor into the counterbalancing chain.

To avoid such deleterious effects, a position control of the hook 35 is introduced into the bearing-member, by suspending the chain from the hook at a point out of vertical alinement with the axis of the pivot, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4. It has been discovered that when such an arrangement is employed, the hook will come to rest after each adjustment of the chain, in a plane which intersects the lengthwise axis of the support 30 at substantially right angles, and in this way the friction factor is eliminated.

To improve the precision of the instrument, most balances are designed so that the point of suspension of the live end of the chain may be moved toward or away from the fulcrum I of the beam, in initially establishing the equilibrium of the counterbalancing chain.

In the present invention, the pivot support 30 is designed to perform this function and incorporates certain novel construction features which facilitate and improve the aforesaid adjustment.

To this end, the support 30 is formed by a flattened screw which is extended through the recess 3| in arm 32. This recess (Figures 3, and 6) is in the form of a slot 36 at the end of arm 32 and is of cylindrical shape at opposite sides of arm 32 adjacent its slotted end, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6.

Lock nuts 31, each having a narrowed projection 38 at one end, are threaded on screw 30 with the projection 38 extending into the cylindrical portion of recess 3i.

This countersunk arrangement permits quick adjustments to effect lengthwise movement of screw 30 without danger of its slipping out of recess 3i through slot 36. Minute variations in position are easily and accurately accomplished in this way.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the position of the pivot 29 relative to fulcrum I0 can be accurately selected in initially establishing equilibrium of the system.

The jewel-bearing suspension of the live end of the chain reduces friction to a minimum, and the position control of the bearing-member 28 insures against adding a friction factor through the accidental engagement of the hook 35 with the arm 32 or support 30.

Each change in length of the chain may cause some movement of the bearing-member, but it immediately positions itself in the manner above-described after such adjustment, and uniformly accurate readings may be taken without special attention being given to the condition of the weighing chain.

Since the operation of precision balances of the type described is well-known in the art, detailed description of the entire weighing operation appears unnecessary.

While the present invention has been described with reference to its preferred arrangement of parts, it will be understood that various changes in construction may be adopted without departing from the fundamental principles of its operation.

For example, any means of suspending the chain from the jewel out of engagement with other parts will be satisfactory for reducing friction to a minimum, and so long as the live end of the chain extends in a plane not in alinement with the lengthwise axis of the vertical pivot, the positioning feature will be present.

In the description and claims, the terms vertical and horizontal" are used in the broader sense of indicating a position generally, and are not intended to be limited to the exact mathematical definition, it being understood that minor variations from a mathematical vertical or horizontal position would not appreciably alter the operation desired.

Therefore, changes and modifications may be availed of within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the hereunto appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. The combination with a precision balance, including a scale beam and a counterbalancing chain, of a suspension-element for the live end of the chain, comprising a pivot carried by the scale beam, and a bearing-member resting on the pivot in suspending connection with said chain, at a point out of vertical alinement with the pivot, and means for suspending the dead end of the chain at a point laterally spaced from the pivot.

2. The combination with the counterbalancing chain of a precision balance, of a suspension-element for the live end of the chain, comprising a vertically disposed pivot carried by the scale beam, a bearing-member resting on the pivot, and a hanger in suspending connection with said chain, at a point spaced from the lengthwise axis of the pivot, and means for suspending the dead end of the chain at a point transversely of the pivot.

3. The combination with a precision balance, including a scale beam and a counterbalancing chain, of an arm projecting from the scale beam and having a transverse cylindrical aperture and. a therewith-connecting slot of lesser diameter, a screw movable lengthwise in said aperture, fiattened to move through the slot, and having means for suspending connection with the counterbalancing chain, and lock nuts on the screw at 0pposite sides of the arm, partially extending into the aperture for holding the screw Within the recess during selective lengthwise movement thereof.

ALBERT DAHLBERG.

GORDON S. CLAYSON. 

